Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake
What’s better than pumpkin this time of year? Pumpkin plus chocolate, of course. I love chocolate chips in my pumpkin cookies, in breads, and even or maybe especially, in pancakes. Pumpkin and ganache? Even better. The Zoë Francois pumpkin Bundt cake has been on my list basically since the Zoë Bakes Cakes book was published in 2021. The version in the cookbook is called Pumpkin-Mocha Swirl Bundt Cake and calls for a little cocoa powder and espresso. A quick search pulls up what was the original version from Zoë – the Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake – that foregoes espresso and focuses on the chocolate. The recipes are almost the same, yet the spices differ slightly. Naturally I agonized over which one to follow but finally decided on the chocolate-leaning version. And because ganache is always a good idea, I added ganache.
To get the full dramatic effect, the recipe requires the purchase of a special Bundt pan, the Kugelhopf. Yes, this cake was indeed my excuse to buy another Nordic Ware Bundt pan. (Sidenote: “Bundt” is trademarked by the folks at Nordic Ware and should always be capitalized. You’re welcome.)
I present to you my Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bundt Cake, baked in a Kugelhopf. How many times can I say “Kugelhopf?”
Just remember, it’s important to butter your Kugelhopf really well. It you do this, and follow cooling instructions, your cake will slide right out every time. So, butter up your fingers and get into every curve and nook and cranny. Then sprinkle cocoa powder inside the pan, followed by a little bang over your sink to get rid of the excess. Yes, this always makes a mess no matter how careful I try to be. For extra assurance, I even went back and where the cocoa didn’t stick, added a little swipe of butter and more cocoa. Here’s a video of Zoe prepping her pan, which I assure you is prettier than a video of me prepping mine!
To make options even more confusing, the video with Andrew Zimmerman uses a sandy-textured chocolate “streusel” instead of the cocoa batter or espresso batter. I did the. homework for you and ruled this one out since it doesn’t give as thick of a chocolate swirl.
The Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Version
It’s all about the swirl. Even if mine didn’t come out perfect, it’s still all about the swirl.
This version uses 3/4 cup of sour cream, a little more vanilla extract, and the spices in the batter are freshly grated nutmeg, all-spice and ginger. The chocolate layer adds 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder (I used Dutch process but assume I could have used black cocoa powder which would have made it a darker, more intense color). The chocolate layer also has 1 teaspoon cinnamon added.
To save you time comparing the recipes, the Pumpkin-Mocha Swirl version calls for 1/2 cup evaporated milk (instead of 3/4 cup sour cream). Instead of several spices, this batter calls for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. The “chocolate swirl” is 1 teaspoon of instant espresso and 2 Tablespoons of Dutch process cocoa so most likely not as chocolatey.
Notes on the Kugelhopf pan and baking times
The Kugelhopf pan is tall and gives the cake some drama, which I love, but it’s totally not necessary. You could use any 12-cup Bundt pan. The Kugelhopf is actually only 10 cups, so you’ll want to trim the bottom of the cake before flipping it over. You want the bottom of the cake to be flat and flush with the bottom of the pan (instead of rounded which is how mine came out of the oven). I knew this, but I didn’t account for this before pouring my layers. What happened was that most of my cake only had two layers of chocolate showing, since I basically trimmed off the third layer of chocolate. I should have made the first pumpkin layer thinner so the first chocolate swirl would have been higher up on the cake. It wasn’t all bad since I nibbled on the excess chocolate cake while it was still warm.
You could of course use a different Bundt pan, or half the recipe and use a 6-cup capacity loaf pan like this Nordic Ware Harvest Bounty one. This loaf is super cute.
Baking notes
The recipe calls for a 1 hour 15-minute bake time. However – for the Kugelhopf pan it won’t take as long. Mine was done in just over an hour (65 minutes). Check it at one hour.
Make sure you let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. After trimming any cake that’s over the edge of the pan, place a cake pedestal or plate upside down on the cake and flip it over. It will still be warm so you may need potholders. But the cake should slide right out. Then leave the cake to cool completely.
Finishing off the cake
I combined 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice with 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar and dusted this over the cake, turning it as I went to get all the sides covered. Then for the ganache, I warmed up ½ cup heavy cream on my stovetop to a simmer and added a 4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped. I let it sit for 3 minutes and gently stirred the chocolate. I did this in my Dansk butter warmer which has a spout and is one of my most favorite kitchen items (in the teal/turquoise color of course!). This made it easy to pour over the cake. (Note, I did not use all the sugar mixture or all of the ganache.)
I highly recommend making this cake ahead of time, so you’re not rushed. This pumpkin cake is super moist, warm and spicy, and stays fresh for several days. As a general rule, Bundt cakes tend to keep well. I wrapped the cake in plastic wrap right on the pedestal overnight. The next day before taking to my potluck, I dusted the cake with the confectioner’s sugar and pumpkin pie spice and then drizzled the ganache over it.
Final verdict
I’ll definitely be making this cake again. I feel like this is a more sophisticated, grown-up pumpkin dessert with its warm spicy taste that hits at the back of your mouth. The espresso version would be appreciated by adults, I’m sure.
I also think my Kugelhopf pan was a fine purchasing decision. I plan to use it for a gingerbread cake decorated in snowy sugar or white chocolate icing over the holidays.
Stay tuned for that.
